Czechoslovakian Boys' Clothes: Garments


Figure 1.--These Czech boy seems to have sent this portrait of himself as a vacation memo, although it was sent in December 1955. The shirt has a uniform look to it such as flap pockers. We wonder if it was a Young Pioneer or school shirt. Click on the image for a fuller doscussion.

We have very limited information about the garments worn by Czech children at this time. The country until 1918 was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austrian control, the border with Germany, and a large numbers of Germans living in the Sudetenland suggests that German influences were very important. Some folk influences may have made for some stylistic differences, but Czech boys appaer to have dressed very similarly with German boys. There may have been more differences between Slovakian and German boys, but here we have very limited information. We have little information oin Czech boys clothes during the Communist era. Boys fashions appear to have leaked accross the border with Germany and Austria, but with a time lag. Modern Czech boys dressed virtually the same as other European boys. We are not sure to what extent boys wore dresses in the 19th century. Sailor suits and shortpants seem popukar in the early 20th century. We note boys wearing both kneesocks and long stockings and ankle socks by the late 1950s. We note a few boys wearing smocks, but am not sure how common it was.

Chronological Influences

We have very limited information about the garments worn by Czech children at this time. The country until 1918 was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and even before that since the medieval era was part of the German cultural area of Europe. Austrian control, the border with Germany, and a large numbers of Germans living in the Sudetenland suggests that German influences were very important. Some folk influences may have made for some stylistic differences, but Czech boys appaer to have dressed very similarly and worn the same garments as German boys. There may have been more differences between Slovakian and German boys, but here we have very limited information. We have little information on Czech boys clothes during the Communist era. Czecheslovakia was one oif the more prosperous East-bloc countries. Boys fashions appear to have leaked accross the border with Germany and Austria, but with a time lag. Modern Czech boys dressed virtually the same as other European boys.

Specific Garments

We have begun to acquire some informationon the specific garments worn by Czech boys. As far as we can tell, they are virtually identical to the garments worn in Germany and Austria. Some German garments like Lederhisen were not wornb kin Czrchoslovalia, perhaps with the exception of the German minority. But Lederhosen at the time were a reguonal style even in Germany. It is virtually impossible looking at the garments here to identify thd children as Czech. It is possible to roughly identify the country looking at photographs of children during much the early- and mid-20th century. Thete were destintive natiional styles. This is more difficult for smaller countries, esoecially those like Czechoslovakia tied into the German ciltural area. Thus the garments we note here are essentially thge same as those worn in Germany. After World War II when Czechoslovakia disappeared behind the Iron Curtain, this may have changed somewhat, but we are still assessing this period.

Dresses

We are not sure to what extent boys wore dresses in the 19th century. Our historical information is very limited. By the time that Czecheslovakia ws formed after World War I (1919) the custome of dressing young boys in dresses was becoming much less common. The prractice would have been much more common in Bohemia and Moravia (much of Czechoslovakia) while it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as well as earlier in the 19th century. We assume that the pattern was similar to that of Austria and other European countries and was fairly widespread. We have few details concerning the styles of dresses worn.

Suits

Czech boys commonly wore suits at the time the country achieved indepebdence after Workd war I. We notice Czech boys wearing the same styles of suits we see in Germany where styles were apparently set. We suspect that styles in Prague and the other large cities were virtyally identickl with Germany. We do not see any important diffrences. Sailor suits were popular in Czechoslovakia even though the countrty and Bohemia before it never had a navy. Perhaps sailor suits were somewhat less popular in Czechoslovakia than Germany. And sailor suits may have been more popular among the large German minority. Given our relativdly small archive, however, we can not yet make a definitive assessment. And perhaps Slovakia was a little differenht because it was more rural and somewhat less prosperous. We note both single- and double-breasted suits, akthough sinfle-breasted jackets seem the most common. Boys wore knee pants, short pabts,knicker and long pants with these suits. Shirt pants became more common during the inter-War era abd were widelyvworn after World War II. We see more boys wearing long pants suits by the 1960s. But as in the rest of Europe, by this time we see fewer boys wearing suits.

Inclement weather garments

We do not have much information on Czech inclement weather garments. We are just beginning to assess this topic. As far as we can tell they seem very similar to German cold weather clothing. We know nothing about rain wear. We do note cold weathee gear including knitwear, sweaters, coats, long stockings, and other items Knitwear was popular for younger children at mid-century. The knit wear seems to have been fashionable all year round, but especually common during cold weather. Knit shors with matching tops seem very poular for younger boys. Sweaters were also popular, but our limited archive makes it ifficult to assess sweater popularity and styles at this time. And we see many Czech children wearung long stockings in cold weather. his was especially the case when boys wore short oant evn in cold winter weather.

Trousers

We have seen Czech boys wearing knee pants, short pamts, long pants, and now the modern style of baggy pants. Shortpants seem to habe been popular in the early 20th century.

Smocks

Czechoslovakia no longer exists having broken up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 199?. We have very little information on Czech boys' clothes at this time. We believe that Czech styles were heavily influenced by Austrian and German clothing styles. We have few Czech images, but do note that a few boys did wear smocks at home. These do not appear to be school smocks. We do not know how common this was in Czechoslovakia or what the fashion influence was. We also note a Sudeten German boy in Czeceslovakia during the 1930s wearing smocks. The material was a rather Scottish plaid, but smocks were not commonly worn in Scotland. This appears to be more of a Czech than German dashion influence as smocks were not commonly worn in Germany.

Hosiery

We are not sure to what extent long stockings were worn. We suspect the pattern may have been similar to Germany. We note boys wearing kneesocks and long stockings during the inter-War era. An example is the Muller family in 1935. The boy here wears kneesocks, probably in the 1940s. We note boys weearing both kneesocks and long stockings and ankle socks by the late 1950s. We note a few boys wearing smocks, but am not sure how common it was.








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Crerated: December 20, 2002
Last updated: 3:20 AM 11/25/2013